First Reviews of 2015 BMW X6 xDrive50i

First reviews of the new 2015 BMW X6 are in. Motor Trend published a review of the X6 xDrive50i model powered by the twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 …

First reviews of the new 2015 BMW X6 are in. Motor Trend published a review of the X6 xDrive50i model powered by the twin-turbo, 4.4-liter V-8 carrying over from the previous generation but with 45 hp and 30 lb-ft bump in power, bringing its output to 445 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque.

BMWBLOG will get to sample the new X6 this week as well so stay tuned for our own detailed review.

Out on the road, the 2015 X6 is at heart a highway cruiser. The big, burly V-8 gets the X6 up to speed quickly (BMW says it’ll do 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds) with nary a rumble emanating from the quiet exhaust in Comfort mode. Speaking of comfort, the X6 rides great even with the optional 20-inch wheels. As I later found out from the X6’s chassis engineer, that’s because the X6’s suspension was tuned around those good-looking dubs, rather than the standard 19-inch wheels. Dynamic damper control, which adds an electronically adjustable suspension with springs up front and air bags in the rear, also helps keep things comfortable as you cruise down the highway.

The EPA says you can expect to get 22 mpg out of the V-8-powered X6 on the highway, and we’d say that’s probably right based on what we saw on the fully digital instrument cluster display. Though real MPG testing could reveal otherwise, the X6 is rated at 15 mpg in the city, thanks to what’s likely the smoothest stop-start system ever put on a BMW.You really need to spend some time on a track to appreciate how well the X6 drives. Sure, the X6 is just fine on the road, but it’s missing that special something that makes you lust after a car. Grabbing the big X6 by the scruff of its neck and wringing it out reveals just how tremendously capable the rolling fashion statement is. After spending the morning driving the X6 from northern South Carolina to southern North Carolina where the trip’s highlight was eating a eclair and staving off jetlag with some coffee, I spent the afternoon doing exercises in the X6 at BMW’s performance driving center at the urging of a young Bimmer chassis engineer. As he put it, the track would reveal what was truly great about the new X6.